Dinner is ready in just 20 minutes with this Tuna Pesto Pasta! Perfect for busy weeknights, you can use store-bought or homemade pesto and your favorite pasta shape. Just 5 pantry ingredients and super budget-friendly!
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Looking for a quick, budget-friendly meal that’s both satisfying and simple to make? Look no further than this easy Tuna Pesto Pasta recipe! With just five ingredients, all likely stocked in your pantry, this dish is a go-to option for busy weeknights.
Plus, it’s incredibly versatile, allowing you to adjust based on what ingredients you have on hand. For more easy, budget-friendly tuna recipes, try Tuna Noodle Casserole or Tuna Pasta Salad.
And for a fresh take on pasta, try this delicious red wine pasta sauce or this creamy cottage cheese pasta!
Ingredients
Pasta: Use your favorite shape of pasta. You’ll need 1 pound (16 ounces). You can absolutely halve this recipe, too, by cutting all the ingredient measurements in half.
Pesto: You’ll need 1 1/2 to 2 cups of prepared pesto. This can be homemade (try my recipe for homemade pesto without nuts) or store-bought and really any style of pesto that you like – traditional basil, red pepper, calabrian if you like some heat.
Tuna: Canned tuna is a staple in any frugal pantry. We will need 4 (5 ounce) cans or 2 (12 ounce) cans. You can use either packed in oil or water, and we will drain the cans.
Garlic: Use fresh, pre-minced or even powdered garlic here. 2 teaspoons minced is the equivalent of about 4 cloves, but you can do as much or as little as you like. If using garlic powder, you’ll use 1/2 teaspoon.
If you’ve got it, throw a little Parmesan cheese on top when serving.
Equipment
- Large Pot to boil pasta
- Large skillet/pan
- Measuring Cup
- Wooden Spoon
How to Make Pesto Pasta with Tuna
- Start by getting your pasta water boiling. Cook your pasta according to the package instructions.
- Saute the garlic and tuna in a deep skillet or medium pot until heated through.
- Once the pasta is cooked, reserve 1 cup cooking water and then drain the pasta and add the pasta to pan with the tuna.
- Top with the pesto and stir to combine.
- If the sauce is too thick for your liking, use that reserved cooking water to thin out the pesto sauce and help coat the noodles.
This pesto pasta dish will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days. Pesto is a very thick sauce, so you will need to add more pesto or water to help loosen up the pasta when reheating.
Variations
This recipe is so flexible! For starters, use whatever pasta you have on hand. I used rotini because the pesto sticks to the shape of the pasta really well, but any shape is great.
- For the pesto, use your favorite brand or flavor. I’ve made this using sun-dried tomato pesto and roasted red pepper pesto and all were delicious – love how versatile it is!
- Add cherry tomatoes and fresh mozzarella pearls to make it extra fancy.
- Substitute canned white beans for the tuna for a vegetarian option.
- Incorporate sauteed vegetables like bell peppers or zucchini.
- Sprinkle with red pepper flakes for a touch of heat.
More Easy Dinner Recipes
- Stovetop Stuffing Meatloaf
- Taco Crescent Ring
- Tater Tot Casserole
- Baked Meatballs Recipe
- Chickpea Burgers
Tuna Pesto Pasta
Ingredients
- 16 ounces pasta dried
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons garlic minced
- 20 ounces canned tuna 4 (5 ounce) cans
- 1 1/2 cups pesto
- salt and pepper to taste
- Optional garnish: shredded Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to the package instructions, making sure to salt the water to ensure the pasta absorbs the flavor.
- While pasta is cooking, heat olive oil and garlic in a pot or deep pan over medium heat. Saute for 1 minute.
- Add the drained tuna and continue to saute until the tuna is heated.
- Once the pasta is finished cooking, reserve 1 cup of cooking water and drain the pasta and add it to the pan with the tuna and garlic.
- Stir in the pesto. Use the cooking water to thin the pesto to your preference. You want the pesto to coat the pasta like a sauce.
- Tasta and add salt and pepper to your preference.
- Top with optional Parmesan cheese when serving.
Notes
Nutrition
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This was such an easy dish to prepare and the kids really liked it! I have some leftovers so they’ll have it for lunch tomorrow too. I will be adding this into our school lunch rotation!
This was so perfect for our family! On a Monday night I get home later from work, I have two kids to pick up from training on my way home. Then we get home, have an hour and two other kids go out to training and then on the way home from that I pick our eldest up from his after school shift at the bowling ally.
So thinking about dinner is tough! So often I will grab takeout or a bunch of microwave meals.
This pasta was so quick and all bar one of the kids loved it!!! Love that I have everything in my pantry and it is cheap as well!
Great
I made this for a family gathering and now it’s all they ask for! It’s so good – the flavors are terrific together!
My kids loved this recipe! I love how simple and budget friendly the recipe is. The pesto adds the perfect amount of flavor.
My kids loved this recipe! I love how simple and budget friendly the recipe is. The pesto adds the perfect amount of flavor. With school starting I will be adding this to my weekly menu
I love how simple and budget friendly the recipe is. The pesto adds the perfect amount of flavor. With school starting I will be adding this to my weekly menu
I love tuna pasta and this was perfect in terms of flavor and budget! Adding pesto into this was genius.